Hillary Clinton and her Tentacled-Eyed Squid Friend

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton referred to Dick Cheney as Darth Vader. While this is a mere reflection of the rampant political immaturity that exists amongst American politicians, I would like to, for the sake of satire, continue Hillary's silly metaphor. I'd say Hillary's the garbage squid Luke Skywalker encountered in the garbage chute of the Death Star during Episode IV. Hillary is always letting her opportunistic eye surface from the sludge of her self-centered politics when looking to take advantage of a given situation. Interestingly enough, when things go awry, Hillary quickly disappears just as Luke's slippery tentacle-eyed squid foe. Point in case, during the aftermath of 9/11 Hillary's opportunistic eye and rhetoric only surfaced at locations where cameras and media coverage was present. At one such surfacing, New Yorkers, sensing her ingenuity and obduratism, promptly booed her off the stage. She, like her tentacled-eyed squid counterpart, quickly vanished never to been seen talking to fear-suffering New Yorkers during the 9/11 aftermath.

Post Script: Hillary's comment on Dick Cheney though true in its reflection of a dearth of moral character, does not do justice to Darth Vader's infamy. Perhaps, something a bit more sad, loathing, and physically cowardly would be a more astute metaphor. Any ideas?

Cluster Bombs: Why the US needs to take a cue from Latin America

A recent convention attempting to ban cluster bomb munitions was held in Costa Rica this last week. The convention was made up by a large contingent of Latin American countries who are pushing to make Central and South America the first cluster bomb free zone. This is a strongly welcomed development as I've taken up a personal vendetta against the bomb and those that use, sell, and stockpile it. Mankind simply must extricate himself from the use of these crude devices that are calculated to so inhumanely torture.

To those that are unaware, cluster bombs are projectiles containing a thousand or so bomblets that scatter in mid-descent over a wide area much similar to a shotgun. Anywhere between ten to twenty-five percent of these bomblets fail to detonate, thus waiting to release a deadly explosion accompanied by shrapnel capable of piercing tank armour up to seven inches deep! These unexploded bomblets present a grave danger to refugees seeking to re-inhabit their previously war ravaged lands. In such situations these unexploded bomblets are incapable of discriminating between a soldiers fighting in the battlefield today, and a civilian herding his sheep months later.

This danger of unexploded cluster bomb bomblets constitutes both moral and legal dilemmas, and despite a formal ban, they violate the principle purpose of two international treaties: the Geneva Convention and the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Cluster bombs are incapable of discriminating between combatants and civilians. This incapability is a direct violation of the Geneva Convention which outlaws indiscriminate attacks. Specifically, the treaty outlaws attacks that "employ a method or means of combat the effects of which cannot be limited" and thus "strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction" (Geneva Convention Protocol I, article 51.4.C).

In addition to violating the Geneva Convention, cluster bombs also violate the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The CCW outlaws the use of "any mine, booby trap or other device which is designed or of nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering" (CCW, Protocol 2, Article 3.3). A cluster bomb's bomblets that fail to detonate are no different than the CCW's definition of landmines. Furthermore, these munitions certainly fall under the CCW's ban of "devices that cause superfluous injury."

Despite these palpable violations of both the Geneva Convention and the CCW, cluster bombs are still used, stockpiled, and sold by a many states, the US and Europe being the primary culprits. It’s sad that full fledged and long established democracies, often argued as the peaceful polities, have to take cues on how to engage in humane warfare. Hopefully, the Costa Rican convention will lead to a cluster bomb free zone (Brazil is holding out), providing an example towards which the US and Europe can aspire.

Random Fact regarding Cluster Bombs

• Cluster Bombs have been produced, sold, stockpiled, and used by a number of countries.
  
• Some notable users are the US, Britain, France, Israel, Russia, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia.
  
• Over half of the European Union member states produce cluster bombs
• Six of the eight G8 nations produce cluster bombs. Other notable producers include India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Brazil, and Argentina.
  
• 75 countries stockpile cluster bombs
• 24 areas of the world have been affected by cluster bombs. Among the worst are Vietnam, Cambodia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
• Vietnam still averages 300 civilian deaths because of unexploded cluster bombs.
• Lebanon has experienced over 150 civilian casualties due to cluster bombs.
• The Oslo Process, launched in February 2007, is an international attempt to ban cluster bombs. 75 countries have stated a goal to do so, but results are yet to surface. The US has not signed
• Belgium is the only country to completely ban cluster bombs from production, stockpiling, exportation, and use. I used to live in Belgium..Yay Brussels!
  
• A cluster munitions amendment was voted on in the House and the Senate in the Fall of 2006. The amendment would prohibit any funding from going to cluster munitions unless it could be proven that they would not be used near civilian populations.
  
• The vote passed through the House 407-19, but failed in the Senate 30-70.
• No Republican voted in favor of the amendments adoption.
  
• Amongst notable Democrats opposed were Senators Clinton, Biden, and Dodd.
  

Rome is Burning

Iraq is pure partisan debauchery. Republicans are dogmatically treading turbulent waters too stubborn to admit policy failure, and Democrats are holding out for policy failure in order to make big gains at the polls in ‘08. When political jockeying for narrow interests takes precedence over the lives of human beings, both foreign and domestic, rest assured, our political system has gone to pot. Its decadence at its worst…to pick a particularly poignant metaphor from the hat: Rome is burning. Anyone with half a brain can tell neither Democrats nor Republicans are positing anything realistic regarding Iraq. It doesn’t take long to figure out that staying the course doesn’t make much sense when its four years floundering. Likewise, the notion that Sunnis and Shi’ites will hold happy hour the second Dems hastily withdraw is equally non-sensical.

The scalding hot conditions on the Hill promise to get hotter with General Petraeus’ soon to be complete report on Iraq. While Democrats and Republicans anxiously sit in their trenches waiting, considerations to practicality and human decency should be made. Lives and nations weigh in the balance. Partisan grumbling and political jockeying must be abandoned, and the common good embraced. Perhaps then we’ll see a tinge of realism amongst our political representatives with regards to Iraq. If not, expect Congress and the White House’s approval ratings to continue to drop below freezing levels, and Rome to continue burning.